With or Without you
by thedreamingriver
Summary: Naoki's marriage meeting and subsequent engagement starts for Kotoko, a journey of self-discovery. Though Naoki ends up waiting in rain for Kotoko as in the original storyline , the girl he gets into a relationship with turns out to be a bit different from the one who stalked him. Their relationship will grow and change as Kotoko grows up.
1. Prologue

**Hello! So this is my first time writing a fanfiction. Itazura na kiss storylines have been revolving around my head for quite a while now and with the airing of second season I have been really excited about the series. Hope you guys like it and I will do my best to be regular with updates.**

**Disclaimer- I don't own any of the characters (obviously :P). I am just playing with them.**

Prologue

17 May 2012

The forest was quiet, full of noises. The crunching of the leaves beneath her feet resounded in her head, disturbing as if a bullet fired. So she stood still and felt herself breath. And there, in between the vastness of her surrounding and minuteness of her existence she felt peace.

She has been lost for an hour now but she was not worried. She was accustomed to feeling lost and now she was experiencing being lost. Her physical state finally an accurate representation of her mental one, exhausted. Did she really want to find her way out here, to leave the calmness of a battle's interlude and resume a fight where she had no idea what she was fighting and why.

She was now starting to piss herself off. What kind of line of thought was she following? Her own thoughts irritated her like the whining of a spoilt brat. Of course she wanted to get out and find her way back , survival in the wild might not sound as peaceful when she had a hungry stomach and hadn't taken a bath for a few days. She needed to get up and leave. She will come here again ,she promised herself and then she won't be lost. Goodbye river ,fallen leaves and trees . I'll be back soon. She snorted out loud shaking her. What goodbye trees and leaves I am lost in a freaking forest!

Kotoko hoped that when she found her way out Naoki would listen to what she had to say and that Irie family would forgive her actions and lastly, she prayed that she could still stay together with Naoki even though she couldn't marry him today.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

10 January 2012

The cold was mind numbing and Kotoko was glad to be finally inside a heated building. She was out to meet her friends Jinko and Satomi, both of them wanted her to meet their boyfriends. Kotoko sighed when she thought how compared to her, her friends were actually living and experiencing life. Kotoko, lately, had been contemplating the decisions she took and the way she lived her first 2 years of her college life a lot. She was jarred out of the fantasy world since she heard about Irie-kun's marriage meeting. Her first reaction had been ,as expected, to spiral into depression, sulk and think of ways to sabotage the meeting but a mean comment by Matsumoto had her stop and look back on her life.

_"Hey Kotoko, Wait!" Matsumoto called out to Kotoko. She waited for Yuuko to catch up and greeted her. "I heard that Naoki-san had gone for a marriage meeting and things went well with the girl. Say Kotoko now what are you going to do with your life? taunted Matsumoto. _

Whatever had been Matsumoto's intentions while saying that to Kotoko, it had shifted her focus;what will she do with her life? Up until now she had been satisfied with pursuing Irie-kun. He was the ultimate goal of her life, but now Kotoko was realizing how stupid she had been in allowing someone to become the only aim of her life. She never thought of what she wanted to achieve, her second year of college is more than half done and yet she hasn't done anything she was particularly proud of. She was half -heartedly studying literature and she had no passion, except Irie-kun. Things have to change Kotoko how?

How does one goes about changing the ways of past 4 years of one's life? Ever since she moved in with the Iries she has been gradually orienting her life around Irie-kun's ,so how can she change? She simply didn't know what it meant to be on her own or to make her decisions based on simply her preferences or future goals. "Aaahhh! This is so hard!" cried Kotoko. Her sudden outburst garnered the attention of other patrons of the restaurant and Kotoko quickly apologized. This is so embarrassing I can't even think properly. Kotoko lightly banged her head on the table.

"Excuse me, but are you alright? Can I get you someone for help? Don't be too hard on yourself, life always has a way of working itself out. " The waiter, a kind old man said this with a sweet smile. He was genuinely concerned about the girl's health. Young girls these days have so many pressures on them. He was thankful that his daughter had grown up just fine. As he left Kotoko, who was feeling even more embarrassed, couldn't help but be extremely skeptical of what the old man had said. What did the phrase 'working out' imply in regards to her life ?That she would live a life she wanted or simply that she would gradually come to accept whatever lot fate had allotted to her? So many questions where now running around her head that Kotoko felt she would lose her mind. Where are Jinko and Satomi? She had been waiting for them for about 20 minutes now. Did they cancel on her? She wouldn't fault them if they did. Kotoko really didn't think she had been a good friend to them. She was a very self-centered person.

And it was in this state of broodiness that Satomi and Jinko found her when they reached the restaurant. Kotoko jumped up from her seat and hugged them both fiercely and started apologizing to them. She kept saying that she was so very sorry and she hoped they could find it in their heart to forgive her. They both were more than a little confused about what Kotoko was babbling. Jinko bluntly asked Kotoko if she were drunk? Satomi ,always the more mature one ,was the first to make a move. She gently made Kotoko sit down and calmly, petting her head asked to her explain what she was thinking. Kotoko then discussed with them her recent revelations about herself.

Jinko empathetically agreed with Kotoko that she indeed needed to work on herself more and cursed Irie for hurting her friend. She declared him absolutely horrendous and heartless. Kotoko while appreciated her friend's support reminded her that they can't fault Irie if he didn't like her back, it was his choice to accept whoever he wants and Sahoko-san ,from what Kotoko had heard and seen, seemed like the perfect choice for Irie. Satomi realized that this line of thought would only bring Kotoko down so she changed the subject by suggesting a make-over.

"Make-over! Why? What's wrong with how I look ?" Kotoko protested.

Satomi sighed. "There is nothing wrong but Kotoko you need to change your style a bit with your age. I love you a lot ,honey, but even you have to admit that you haven't changed much about your appearance since we were starting look like a school kid instead of the college girl you are."

"Fine. Fine. I agree but what exactly would this make-over entail?" Kotoko grumbled while exaggerating her mock pout.

"Okay, let's see…there are clothes, shoes, definitely your hair and.." Satomi was interrupted by Kotoko. "NOT MY HAIR. I have grown it for so long. No way!"

"Please, please, Kotoko, please just trust me on this for once. I promise we won't cut it too short." Satomi begged with her puppy dog-eyed expression. Kotoko reluctantly acquiesced. She then turned to Jinko to say "Do you have anything to add?"

Jinko shook her saying "You know fashion is Satomi's department. I can hook you up with some concert tickets and keep you updated with new bands, help cultivate your music tastes. Narasaki knows some people in concert organization so maybe I could get some concert tickets. What say?" Kotoko and Satomi were almost vibrating with excitement at the thought of concert. "We definitely need to go to one soon." Satomi declared. "And Kotoko, would you mind if we brought our boyfriends along? I don't want you to feel left out. So you have the final say."

"Guys, I realize it may be a little weird for me in the starting but I truly want to meet and know the guys who my friends are enamored with. So fret not, I will be fine. And with that enough has been said about me. I see two guys coming towards us and if I am not wrong they are here for you guys." Kotoko beamed with happiness as she saw her friends jump out in excitement and hug their boyfriends. For a moment a shot of envy passed through Kotoko as she wished she could have called Irie-kun hers the same way,but the realization that even if he was her boyfriend Kotoko could not have simply and confidently jumped into his arms like her friends with their boyfriends was a sobering thought.

"No wallowing,Kotoko." She scolded herself. Oh great! Now she was talking to herself in her mind. She was going crazy. I need a drink. Kotoko wanted nothing more than to let herself go a little and for the first time alcohol seemed like the perfect solution to Kotoko. Kotoko suggested that they all have some shots. Jinko and Satomi were surprised but readily agreed. They ordered the drinks and their night of fun truly began.

** -2 hours later-**

Satomi dropped a drunk Kotoko at the doorstep of her house and wobbled back to the car. She shouted her goodbye as Narasaki drove away. The commotion of drunk Kotoko outside the door and Satomi shouting had Naoki opening the front door, glowering at Kotoko. He was still in his suite indicating that he himself had just gotten back from his date with Sahoko.

"Do you even realize what time is it? Mom was so worried about you. Couldn't you call? I had to calm to her down and I finally sent her to bed; and you with all this ruckus would disturb her again. Do you have any consideration for anyone else? Coming home at this time and that to in some strange guys car." Naoki went off on Kotoko. He stopped when he saw Kotoko stumble inside the house, while he was speaking, and realized that she was drunk as he smelt the strong smell of vodka on her. His temper reached an unprecedented level. He gritted his teeth and very slowly held Kotoko by her shoulder. He tightened his hold to an almost painful level said "I can't believe you would get into a car with guys you don't even properly know while being pissed off drunk. Tell me, Kotoko, are you that desperate?"

Kotoko violently shrugged Irie-kun off ,slapped him and stomped off the stairs, her anger giving her clarity , before she turned the corner she looked back at him with stone cold eyes and spat out the words "Fuck off,Naoki." The hypocrisy and incredulity of the situation had her snorting , Irie Naoki was calling her selfish. Kotoko slammed her door shut and leaned heavily against her door. All her bravado left her as she slumped down and tears started streaming down her eyes. Her heart was breaking and she didn't know how much more she could take.

Naoki who had been shocked frozen by that slap and even more by her words finally moved. He will never learn, Naoki thought to himself .He walked up the stairs slowly, his heart weighed down. Naoki realized that this time he was losing her forever. Maybe this time there was no going back from where they have reached. He was getting engaged to Sahoko-san. He was so lucky. Then why was he mourning a loss.

**So this is the first chapter. Please review. I would love to hear what you guys have to say. **


	3. Chapter 2

**Sorry for the delay. I hope this meets your expectation.**

Chapter 2

22 January 2012

It has been over a week since that incident and Kotoko had successfully managed to avoid Naoki, not that it had been particularly difficult with Naoki still managing Pandai and courting Sahoko. He simply wasn't at home much. Naoki had stoically apologized to Kotoko the day after she had slapped him and that had been the last they had seen of each other. Noriko who had observed all this with a heavy heart was determined that she would try at least for one last time to get the two together before giving up. Papa had told her that Chairman Oizumi wanted to get Sahoko-san and Onii-chan officially engaged in first week of February, so she really didn't have much time left now. Moreover, she had seen some shocking changes in Kotoko that have had her really worried.

She sometimes got a feeling that Kotoko was hiding something from her. First, there had been some subtle changes in Kotoko's attitude:leaving home very early,skipping breakfast, coming home late and it also seemed like Kotoko had also undergone a complete wardrobe transformation,Noriko had seen her come home with her friends laden with shopping bags and then giggling up a storm while looking at their purchases. She once caught site of the soft pink of the famous lingerie brand among her purchases. Noriko had not been troubled by this at the starting, she had seen it as simply as a part of growing up , but it was last night that had her wondering if Kotoko's transformation was motivated by something completely different.

**_-Last Night-_**

_Noriko was catching up on some reading while waiting up for Onii-chan and Kotoko-chan to come home. It was getting late and she was about to call Kotoko when she heard the front door jiggling. She walked excitedly to the foyer._

_"Oh! Kotoko-chan!What have you done to your hair?" exclaimed Noriko even before Kotoko could properly shut the door._

_"I got a haircut. Jinko and Satomi convinced me. Do you like it?" Kotoko blushed and nervously touched her hair._

_She had gotten it cut this afternoon and Jinko had convinced her to get an inverted bob. She had been saddened to see her long tresses chopped off. "God knows how many years would it take for them to grow back." Kotoko had thought mournfully. She also been very skeptical about her ability to carry it ,but after spending the whole evening with her short hair she had decided that short hair suited her personality much better. "Sweet, simple and bubbly.", mentally Kotoko agreed with the description._

_Noriko came closer and gently held Kotoko's face in her hand. She moved it to the left ,then right and after examining it from all directions declared it " Amazing! You look so cute. I approve of it." Noriko suddenly jumped excitedly clapping her hands. " Kotoko-chan just wait here. Let me get my camera. We need to document this." And, thus, began a 20 minute long impromptu photo session , with which Kotoko was only too happy to comply. _

_After enough photos had been clicked to satisfy Noriko that nothing had been missed , Kotoko had started going up the steps up to her room. Noriko pulled Kotoko back down the steps and then asked Kotoko incredulously where did she think she was going. "Ahm, I was going to my room because it is late and I want to sleep. Is there something wrong?" Kotoko answered perplexed. Noriko laughed at the naivety of the young girl.  
>"Kotoko-chan" Noriko said in a sing-song voice , "You have to wait for Onii-chan to come home and greet him. You need to show him your new look. Wouldn't it be just lovely when Onii-chan sees you like this? I bet he would love it."<em>

_"Mrs Irie, Irie-kun is with someone else and it is his right to be with whosoever he wants. We need to respect his choice. I can't keep imposing myself on him like this. It is embarrassing for me. I am sorry ,but I am really tried so I am going to bed. Thank you waiting up. Goodnight."_

-Present-

To say that Noriko was stunned would be an understatement. Kotoko always followed her suggestion and was unfailingly determined to gain Onii-chan's attention. Noriko earnestly hoped this change was not because Kotoko had found someone else, now that Onii-chan had Sahoko-san. "Why does Onii-chan have to be so blind to the fact how perfect Kotoko is for him? Why does he just not listen to his heart?" wailed out Noriko suddenly. She then turned to check to see if anyone heard her and was relieved to realize that everyone was sleeping in this Sunday and she was thankfully alone in the kitchen.

An hour later when Naoki came down to the kitchen ,he saw everyone was just settling down with their breakfast. His stomach growled at the appetizing aroma of food. His mother really was an amazing cook and though he never really complimented her because it felt awkward to say it out loud. He was grateful for his mother's care. Engrossed in these thoughts Naoki sat down at the table and started fixing himself a plate. He then reached for his newspaper. It was only when he was almost done with his food that he put down the paper and took a sip of his coffee when he saw Kotoko sitting at the table. He immediately choked on his drink and started sputtering and coughing. Everyone at the table looked up at him in surprise. No one expects the super cool and ever composed Naoki Irie to be so graceless and so they were extremely curious about the cause of his clumsiness.

"You got a haircut. Why?" exclaimed Naoki. His voice a mixture of disbelief and accusation. Why was feeling left out? So she got a haircut, why was he disappointed that she didn't ask his opinion beforehand?

"Yes and I just felt like it." Kotoko coolly replied but then in the next breath her resolve crumbled and she ended up asking "Do you like it?" She scolded herself mentally. "Stupid Kotoko! You don't want Irie-kun's approval. Be your own person. Repeat. Be your own person."

"Like it? Huh! You look like a boy. Though, I guess that fits well with your body type." Naoki said dismissively.

Kotoko deflated sadly and looked down at her plate. She was no longer hungry while Naoki marveled at his ability to lie. He had been unable to take his eyes off from the tantalizing curve of her neck ever since he kept down his paper and had this almost irresistible urge run his lips along its length. Noriko chose this time to change the subject.

"Okay everyone! What are you guys doing the next weekend?" asked Noriko excitedly.

"I have lunch with distributors on Saturday." "I have golf with Chairman Oizumi." "I have an important dinner party to cook for." "I have a birthday party to attend." "I have to go to concert on Saturday." Everyone answered one by one.

"Enough. Cancel everything." Noriko announced. "We are going out. I got vouchers to a 5-star sea side spa as a gift for my birthday and I want to redeem them before they expire. And since it is my birthday gift ,you all have to come." So in a manner that was patently Noriko Irie she suppressed all dissent and thus set her plan to bring Onii-chan and Kotoko together in motion. "I would have made a great dictator." Noriko thought this with great pride.

**If you liked it ,please review. Your words mean a lot to me. Until next time. Take care.**


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter-3

29 January 2012

3:00 P.M.

"Say something, I am giving up on you. Say something." Kotoko pleaded as she stared at him. Trapped in this elevator she had bared her heart out to him and this time she wanted a proper reply. He cannot leave her hanging this time. This time she wanted closure ,an outright no. He was done playing with her emotions. So here stuck in this broken down elevator she waited for the last blow to fall on her love for Irie-kun, shattering her heart for one final time.

- 9:00 A.M. [Earlier that day] -

The entire Irie family along with Kotoko and her father had reached the resort yesterday afternoon and what followed was a day of relaxing massages and pampering for Kotoko along with Mrs. Noriko. The duo had fun together getting hot stone massages and their nails done while boys went off their own way. The day had ended with delicious dinner at a local family restaurant and calming soak in the public hot bath. Today, the plan was for the whole group to hang out at the beach and Kotoko was very excited to try out her new bikini. It had taken a lot of coaxing from Satomi and Jinko for her to buy something more age appropriate. While Kotoko wasn't really conscious about her figure,she did have her insecurities like any young women. But, this more determined Kotoko was ready to grow up and face her self-doubts boldly and head on.

The black bikini that she had finally chosen was a standard two piece set, nothing too skimpy and had a white crochet cover-up that she simply loved. Looking at herself in the mirror she was starting to feel more confident, sure she her boobs were not that big and she didn't have curves that one might wish for but her body type had its own appeal. She liked what she was seeing in the mirror and she was happy. So giving herself a final pep talk for confidence,she left her room wearing flip-flops and carrying her ipod.

Meanwhile, Iries and Aihara-san where waiting for Kotoko to join them for breakfast. Mrs. Irie was just about to go looking for her when Kotoko finally entered the dining area of the resort. As Kotoko greeted everyone on the table, Naoki chose to ignore her and went on ahead with finishing his breakfast. Kotoko also decided to ignore his ignorance of her and focus on setting up her breakfast plate. Yet far from being ignorant, her presence had wreaked a havoc in his cool composure. Her cover-up hadn't hidden from Naoki much of anything not covered by the bikini and Naoki was at loss on how to deal with ,to put it bluntly, a sexy Kotoko. Naoki was now getting agitated. Isn't it enough her face plagued his thoughts and now to deal with her body? How he wanted to wrap his arms around her waist and hold her tight to him. What was wrong with him. Why was he thinking about this stupid girl so much these days. Since when did she hold such power over him? Why does she make him feel so much?

After everyone was finally done with breakfast the group headed towards the beach. Naoki couldn't help but notice the appreciative glances that came Kotoko's way. He casually walked up to where she was standing and put his arms around her shoulder. Kotoko tried hard not to act flustered but she couldn't help and squirm a bit under his intense gaze as he leaned down to look at her. Naoki was himself was taken aback by his actions, it was as if his body had acted on its own will. Now looking at her face this close he couldn't find any logical reason for his action so he blurted out the first thing that came to his mind "Shouldn't you be wearing clothes more appropriate to your age, little girl?"

Noriko swatted him with her hat saying "Onii-chan you shouldn't be do rude. Our Kotoko is a beautiful flower now. So precious. Take care of her." Naoki started at his mother passively then moved on to get into water with Yuki. Kotoko recovered herself and went to lie down and enjoy the sun and music.

After spending 4 hours on the beach engaged in various activities Kotoko decided that she wanted to go rest in her room. Noriko thought this to be the perfect time to execute her plan. As everyone started to pack up the stuff they had brought to beach Noriko suggested that she wanted to look at stuff in the shops near the beach and thus excitedly she dragged her husband, her younger son and Aihara-san along with her while asking Naoki to help Kotoko take their things up to the room. Noriko had arranged everything with the resort staff and though it involved pulling of some strings and an appeal to the emotional heart of the young hotel manager she had managed to create the perfect opportunity for them to interact in the elevator. Stuck in the elevator for an hour would definitely make them talk. Thus, giggling happily she made the call that would ensure the implementation of her plan.

-2:30 P.M. [In Elevator]-

Standing in this enclosed space with Irie-kun was making her heart beat incredibly fast. Kotoko couldn't understand her feelings anymore. Despite his blatant disregard for her why did he still have such effect on her emotions. Suddenly the elevator jerked and it was pitch black inside the elevator cabin. Kotoko shrieked and backed into Irie-kun. Naoki tried to calm a panicked Kotoko and pressed the glowing button on the panel. The button allowed for the distress call to be made and he got to speak with a technician who assured him that they were trying to sort out the problem as soon as possible and for the time being to switch on the emergency light and wait.

Naoki looked for the emergency light button and once the dim yellow filled the cabin he focused on calming Kotoko down who was trembling in his arms. Rocking her slowly he started humming to her soothe her racing heart. Kotoko started to feel herself relax in Irie-kun's arm. He somehow always made her feel safe. Nothing could go wrong in her world if he held her. Once she was calm enough Naoki spread their beach blanket on the ground and then lowered them on it. So they sat there with Kotoko resting on her head on Naoki's chest while his fingers soothingly rubbed her shoulders.

Afterwhile Kotoko started feeling restless, she looked up at Naoki and the dimness of the light gave her the courage to voice her query "Irie-kun do you really love Sahoko-san?", Naoki sighed and after weighing his words answered "I respect her and I believe in time we could grow to care for each other deeply but I don't understand what love is so I don't know if I see myself falling in love with her."

Kotoko mulled over what he had said and then she began " I know you find me annoying and pesky but I love you. I have loved you since I first saw you in high school. I know my emotions don't seem logical to you but I have thought about it hard, my love for you has never been infatuation. I have never seen anything in my future except you. All my dreams, all my hopes, all my prayers ,everything, every single breath of mine since the day I first saw you have centered around you. All I ever wished was for you to be happy and me to by your side. I have started to realize how unfair all this has been to you in a way. You never asked to be saddled with someone's love. Moreover a someone that your mother for some reason deemed perfect for you. I am obviously no match for you on any level. I am so below you it is not even funny. But goddammit I didn't ask for this too. I hate feeling this way. My love for you has started to disgust me. It is like a disease driving me mad. Naoki I want to stop. Please make this stop."

Kotoko was in tears by the end of her speech, breathless ,angered and exhausted she waited for his reply. When after minutes of silence that consumed them passed by and Irie-kun remained a stone, Kotoko couldn't control herself anymore.A wail of anguish left her mouth as pleaded "Say something, I am giving up on you. Say something."


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

3:10 P.M.

All that was left in the cabin once Kotoko's wailing pleas subsided was an unbearable silence. The front of Naoki's shirt was now wet with Kotoko's tears as she lay there crying silently. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't stop her tears and now, after crying for what felt like an eternity she was starting to feel tired. She wanted to fall asleep. Weirdly enough there was a sense of acceptance and calmness in Kotoko that had been missing before, expressing herself and then mourning her broken heart in front of the reason for all this mess had been cathartic. For now, all she wanted was to sleep.

Naoki's head was resonating with Kotoko's words. Where Kotoko had found some peace for herself , Naoki was left agitated and helpless. The frailty of human emotions was a nuisance that he had always distanced himself from, he had never experienced any major upheaval in his emotional state so he always found other's emotional reactions artificial and an exaggeration. Though this was not the complete truth. He had not experienced any major upheaval, until Kotoko that is; She made him feel more than anyone else. Not always or majorly positive feelings but she made him feel. She was the one who had directed him towards a goal that for the first time in his life he was passionate about. She was the spark that made him feel but even though she was good at making him human, he was not good at expressing his feelings. What good could it ever achieve. The facts of the situation remains the same and all it does was to leave him exposed and vulnerable. Kotoko drew feelings from him and many times his words too. He had shared with her thoughts that he never saw himself sharing. Yet, he never can seem to talk to her about the thing that was the most important, her. He could never talk to her about his feelings for her. There were no words.

"I cannot think for myself Kotoko. I may not be the most loving son out there but I gladly accept and realize my responsibilities towards my parents. Wants and desires were a mystery that I never understood and now that I do, they are luxury that I cannot afford. To state it simply Pandai is in real trouble and I am the only one who can save it. So, I cannot let myself think about who I love and what I love. When there is a path already laid in front of you and you know there is no other option but to walk upon it, there is no point pinning for the road not taken." Naoki closed his eyes and leaned his head on the wall of elevator as he spoke these words.

Kotoko was startled when Naoki started to speak. The disturbance of his words seemed unnatural. Though, as he continued to speak she was filled with deep sadness for the man in front of her. She didn't understand much of what he implied but a fierce feeling of protectiveness overcame her. She wanted to shield him from everything and anything that brought this undertone of sadness in his voice. This vulnerability felt alien on him.

"Sahoko-san is very beautiful woman and kind woman, Naoki. Once Pandai is back on its feet after you marry her and Uncle has recovered you could still pursue your dream to become a doctor. You can do it and I am sure Sahoko-san would stand by you and support your dream. Nothing is lost, your dreams have just been delayed." Kotoko did her best to alleviate Naoki's sadness. While Naoki saw her absence in the picture she painted as the biggest and most unbearable flaw. He would rather have her and forget being a doctor than the other way around. But he would never say that to her because it would be cruel as it can never come true. He could also not let himself think like this anymore. He needs to discipline his thoughts.

It was at this point when they heard voices of technicians outside and the elevator door was wrenched open. Kotoko and then Naoki were pulled out of the broken down elevator shaft. The light of the day felt harsh like bleach in their eyes. It harshly rubbed out the intimacy of minds that they had found in the elevator cabin. Kotoko looked at Naoki intently and gathering all the courage she had,she hugged him ,standing on the tip of her toes holding onto him tightly. Naoki held her equally close, the tantalizing scent of her hair calmed him. What could have been their future passed through both of their minds, both unwilling to let go. Then, suddenly Kotoko pulled herself away from Naoki as if drenched in cold water and ran, ran away from her only love.

Don't go. Please don't leave me shouted Naoki in his mind. Naoki controlled himself, his face now held the usual blank expression but as he turned to move the words held for so long in his heart broke free , "I love you. I,only, love you" whispered Naoki to the air around him. His mind he could control, his heart not so much.


End file.
